Shaheen Calls for Renewed US Sanctions on Milorad Dodik
In Sarajevo City Hall, three days after the elections, the US senator urged Washington to reimpose sanctions on Dodik, and described Serbia as a Russian way station in the region.
US Senator Jeanne Shaheen called on October 7 in Sarajevo City Hall for the United States to reimpose sanctions on Milorad Dodik, three days after the elections. The message matters for Serbia too: in an interview with Radio Free Europe, Shaheen described Serbia as a “way station” through which, in her assessment, Russia wages hybrid warfare against the region.
The award in City Hall and the message on sanctions
Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, received the “Honorary Citizen of the City of Sarajevo” award for 2025. It was presented by Sarajevo Mayor Samir Avdic. The city cited her long-standing engagement and support for Bosnia and Herzegovina, her advocacy for the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and her backing of its Euro-Atlantic path.
At the ceremony, Shaheen spoke about Dodik:
“I have been very clear in my position that we must reimpose sanctions on Mr. Dodik. He is trying to divide the country in ways that do not support its progress.”
The sanctions had already been in place before they were lifted. In October 2025, the United States removed sanctions on Dodik, Zeljka Cvijanovic and some members of Dodik’s family. In February 2026, at the Munich Security Conference, Shaheen led a Senate Foreign Relations Committee delegation in talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency member Denis Becirovic and the then High Representative Christian Schmidt. She voiced concern about the secessionist rhetoric and moves of Milorad Dodik, which she said threaten the Dayton Peace Agreement and regional stability.
What did Shaheen say about Srebrenica?
The senator announced that she will visit the Srebrenica Memorial Center on October 8:
“Tomorrow, as part of this visit, we will tour the Srebrenica Memorial Center. I have been there several times already and I know how important it is to pay respect to those who were killed, to remember them and their families, and to acknowledge what happened there.”
Russia, Serbia and Republika Srpska
In the Radio Free Europe interview, Shaheen spoke about the risk of instability that would involve Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia. According to the report, the discussion concerned the ties between Serbia and the Serbs in Republika Srpska on one side and Russia on the other, and Russia’s interest in destabilizing the region. Shaheen is co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, and she said:
“Russia sees it as a potential second front, and we must do everything we can to preserve stability in the region.”
Noting that NATO has forces in Kosovo and the EU has its EUFOR mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, she added:
“We must make sure the Russians know that those forces are on high alert and watching what is happening.”
Shaheen also said the United States must counter Russian hybrid warfare wherever possible, because that is not only an American interest but also an interest of European allies. Asked about Russian activity along NATO’s eastern flank, she answered that Russia wages hybrid warfare elsewhere as well, and that it uses Serbia as a “way station.”
Shaheen has visited Bosnia and Herzegovina several times, and in recent years she has repeatedly warned about security risks in the Western Balkans and argued for a stronger American presence in the region.
